Fine Fethard friend

IF you are closer to God in a garden than anywhere else on earth, then the Glebe House in Fethard is on the fast track to Heaven.

Here, on a tidy estate of 16 acres, a good four acres are given over to gardens which have been tended organically for the past 20 years or so.

A large, walled-in garden has espaliered pears and apples growing on its warming walls, and in the middle, vegetables make their bed.

And for those who associate organic with untidy, the Glebe House makes a strong case against the deleterious but far easier practice of spraying; here, a weed is just a flower out of place.

The courtyard is smart and neat and has hardly changed since it was built, along with the house, some time in the very early 1800s. In fact, parts of the property probably have an earlier date, says John Stokes of Stokes and Quirke, who is charged with selling the Glebe and its 16 acres at auction in April.

He describes it as being "beautifully appointed" with great privacy and views over fields and woodland to Sliabh na mBan. The location is just outside Fethard, on a quiet, country road, and it is only an eight-mile drive to Clonmel.

It's also in the heart of Tipperary hunting country and the local hunt is the Tipperary Foxhounds.

At a guide price in excess of €1 million, there's obviously a certain buyer demographic that this house will suit. With its stables, paddocks, period house and Golden Vale land, that could mean the equine fraternity.

Then again, as a family home which will need minimal structural work, it should appeal to local buyers looking for generous family quarters (it has 6,000 square feet of space) close to schools and shops but in a quiet, rural area.

The Glebe House will need to be modernised with a light and gentle touch.

Bright and well-proportioned rooms are lit by sash windows and face southeast. The ground floor has a large entrance hall with the house's most attractive feature a cantilevered, oval staircase that rises from the basement and runs all the way to the second floor.

This level has a drawing room, library and dining room, with the principal rooms having original chimney pieces and dimensions of 24' by 17'.

A smaller reception room has been converted to an en suite bedroom and an addition to the rear of the house provides enough space for a kitchen, pantry, wash house with WC and a storeroom. There is access to the courtyard from here. The main hallway also has a guest cloakroom.

The next level up has five bedrooms, with two en suite rooms and two bathrooms, while overhead are two very large rooms, both with fireplaces.

In continuous occupation for over 200 years, the Glebe House has escaped being ravaged over time and is a warm, attractive house with an utterly private location.

In fact, unless you were told, you'd hardly know it's there, says John Stokes, who's more that happy to lead the way for interested parties.